The Kia Syros is a compact SUV that is positioned between the Sonet compact SUV and the Seltos midsize SUV. It is offered with a 1.0-litre turbo-petrol and 1.5-litre diesel engine options. Among these, the turbo-petrol engine comes with manual and DCT options, with claimed fuel efficiency of up to 18.2kpl. But which of these two powertrain options offers more real-world mileage? Let’s find out.
Kia Syros 1.0L turbo-petrol MT vs DCT: Specifications and price
The Syros turbo MT’s top-end price is similar to the DCT’s starting price
With a total output of 120hp and 172Nm, the Syros has one of the most potent turbo-petrol engines in the segment. It is available with either a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed DCT, with the former claiming to be the more frugal option. The manual version is more affordable than the DCT, and interestingly, the top-end manual’s price is just Rs 6,000 more than the entry-spec DCT variant.
Kia Syros 1.0L turbo-petrol MT vs DCT: Real-world fuel efficiency
The manual is almost 1kpl more frugal than the DCT
In our real-world tests, we found that the manual version was more frugal than the DCT version in both city and highway conditions by 0.81kpl and 1.1kpl, respectively. This results in the Syros turbo-petrol manual being overall 0.95kpl more fuel efficient than the DCT version.
Autocar India’s fuel efficiency testing
Before our real-world fuel efficiency tests, we fill our test cars’ tanks to the brim and maintain tyre pressures based on the manufacturer’s recommendations. These cars are driven in fixed city and highway loops in and around Navi Mumbai, and we maintain certain average speeds. Throughout the tests, there is only one person in each car, running the air conditioner and other electricals, such as the audio system, indicators and wipers, when required, just like a regular user would. Periodic driver swaps further neutralise variations in driver patterns. At the end of each cycle, we calculate efficiency by filling the tanks to full again.
Prices are ex-showroom, India.
Uday Singh
Viraaj Bhatnagar
Rivan RS 
